Brooder.



V. W; CLOUGH.

BHOODER.

APPLICATION man APR. 25. 190e. HENEwEnsEPT.27,1915.

l l 8 l ,504. Patented May 2, 1916.

VICTOR W. CLOUG-H, OF'NORTI-I MCGREGOR, IOWA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF rio.

TO EDWARD G'. SIGGERS, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT 0F COLUMBIA.

BROODER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 2, 1916.

Application led April 25, 1908, Serial No. 429,210. Renewed September 27, 1915. Serial No. 52,963.

To all whom t may concern Beit known that I, VICTOR W. CnOUGH, a citizen of the United States, residing at North McGregor, in the county of Clayton and State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Brooder, of which the following is a specification.

This invention while particularly intended as a brooder or hoverer for young chicks and other poultry, is also useful as a housing or protection for animals of various characters and as a coop for grown poultry.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a simple structure that will eliminate the necessity of artificial heat with its various objections and dangers, will constitute a warm and thoroughly practical shelter for the chicks, is readily adjustable to the size of its occupants, and can be easily and thoroughly cleansed.

The preferred form of construction is shown in the accompanying drawings, in whicht Figure 1 is a perspective view of -the brooder. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view therethrough. Fig. 3 is a sectional view at right angles to Fig. 2.

Similar reference numerals designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

In the embodiment illustrated, a body 1s 4employed comprising side walls that are made up of upper and lower slidably telescoped sections 4 and 5, the section 4L being located outside the section 5. These walls thus form an inclosed brood chamber. A iioor 6 is secured to the lower portion of the section 5, while the section i supports a roof 7, covered by a water-proof sheet 8 of any suitable character. The sections 4 and 5 are held against relative movement and in different positions by pins 9, said pins passing through openings 10 in the outer section and engaging in openings 11 in the inner section. It will be observed by reference to Figs. 2 and 3 that the outer section. is spaced from the inner section, thus providing for ventilation.

The roof 7 is removable from the upper section 4, being provided on its under side with cleats 12 that fit within said upper section, and prevent the sliding movement of the roof. Secured directly to the under side of the roof 7, covering the surface thereof, within the body between the side walls, and depending therefrom is soft flexible hover material 13, preferably, flannel 'cut into strips grouped or clustered together and fastened by tacks 14:, though the material may be of any suitable character that will retain heat. By arranging the groups of strips in rows, and spaced apart in their respective rows, as shown in the drawings, a plurality of longitudinal and transverse air-circulating passages are provided immediately under the roof, which passages communicate with the Ventilating opening of the brooder. One of the side walls is provided with an entrance and eXit 15 which is formed partially in each section.

It will be noted that the strips of hover material are arranged in rows disposed longitudinally of the wall in which the doorway is formed, and are consequently disposed transversely of the door-way. As a result, they form a plurality of curtains which break up and prevent drafts of air through the door-way, that would otherwise blow against the occupants of the brooder.

It will be seen that the strips of hover materia-1 are arranged in clusters, the strips of each cluster being arranged contiguously to each other at their upperends and the clusters being arranged in rows. With such an arrangement the interior of the brooder is more or less lled with iieXible, freely-mov able, depending woolen strips, there being in an ordinary brooder of this character some five hundred separate strips. These strips permit the chicks to snuggle between the contiguous plies of cloth and yet do not prevent the proper circulation of air or in any way tend to smother the chicks. The bodies are kept warm, but there is no danger of the plies preventing proper ventilation. At the same time these flexible strips permit the chickens to move about freely within the brooder, to walk between the rows of strips and get from one row to another without diiiiculty.

This structure can be used for young chicks or other poultry as soon as the same have been hatched, and they are allowed to have free entrance thereto and eXit therefrom. The chicks when feeling cold or if they become damp, enter and ensconce themselves within the hover material, which by retaining the heat, will soon warm and dry them. As they increase in size, the upper section is adjusted upwardly. In-thisv structure, there are no drafts and yet complete ventilation is secured, and the material being suspended directly from the roof, there are no vacant chambers or spaces above that receive the heat and prevent its proper retention. In order to clean the brooder, the cover with the suspended material can be removed directly from the body, thus giving complete access to the interior. It will of course be understood that the invention can be employed for other animals, and also for grown poultry.

From the foregoing it is thought that the construction, operation and many advantages of the herein described invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art without further description, and it will be understood that various changes in the size, shape, proportion and minor detailsof construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an unheated structure of the character set forth, the combination of a body composed of relatively-adjustable upper and lower sections having spaced side walls forming a ventilating opening between the sections at the top of the body, which opening is of substantially constant area irrespective of the position of adjustment of the sections, and groups of hover strips secured to the upper section in rows to form longitudinal and transverse circulating passages communicating with` the Ventilating opening, said strips depending into the lower section and spreading Vloosely apart at their lower portions.

2. In an unheated structure of the character set forth, the combination with a body comprising side walls directly exposed to the atmosphere, a floor, and a-roof detachably supported by and removable from the side walls and also directly exposed to the atmosphere, said roof being adjustable toward and from the ioor, and one of said side walls having a constantly open entrance and exit, of a plurality of spaced rows of pendent strips of soft flexible hover material secured directly to the under side of the roof and depending between the side walls, the spaced rows providing air circulating passages immediately under the roof, and the strips of each row expanding downwardly substantially into side contact with those of adjacent rows, and said strips substantially filling the interior of the structure at the body height of the creatures to be hovered.

3. In an unheated structure of the character set forth, the combination with a body comprising side walls composed of adjustably-telescoped sections, a floor and a roof, of soft iiexible hover material located within and inclosed by the body, and means for holding the telescoped sections in different adjusted positions.

4.- In an unheated structure of the character set forth, the combination with a body comprising side walls composed of `adjustably telescoped upper and lower sections, a floor secured to the lower section and a roof supported by the upper section, of softflexible hover material located 'within and inclosed by the body, and meansfor holding thetelescoped sections in different adjusted positions.

5. In a vstructure vof the character vset forth, the combination with a body comprising Vside walls composed of adjustably telescoped `sections vhaving a Ventilating space between them, a floor and a roof, one of said walls having a doorway therethrough of soft iexible hover material suspended from the roof and inclosed by the body, and means connecting the sections for holding them in adjusted relation. Y

6. In a structure of the character set forth, the combination with a body Vcomprising side walls composed of adjustably telescoped upper and lower sections, a vfloor associated with the lower section and a roof supported by the upper section, of means connecting the sections for holding them in adjusted relation, and soft iexible hover material suspended within and inclosed by the body.

7. In a structure of the character set forth, the combination with a body comprising side walls composedof upper and lower sections, the upper section slidably overlapping the lower section, a bottom secured to the lower section, a roof detachably supported onthe upper section and removable therefrom, soft flexible hover material suspended from the under side and covering the surface ofthe roof between the side walls, and devices securing the sections together and in `adjusted relation.

8. A brooder comprising a boxlile bottom section open at its top, a boxlike top -section open at its bottom and cooperating with the bottom section to form a cover, there being a Ventilating opening between the top and bottomsections of substantially uniform area irrespective of the position of the cover, said lower sections having an en-Y trance opening, and rows of hover strips carried by and movable with the cover and depending loosely into the lower section.

9. Abrooder comprising a bottom, and a cover sectionand depending loosely into the one section being spaced froml those ofthe other and arranged to .provide an exterior ventilating passagethrough which Vthe air passes out of the top ofthe lower section and downwardly around the outside thereof,-4`

means for adjusting the position of the cover section, and hover material secured to the cover section and depending loosely into the lower section.

l0. In a structure of the class described,

the combination with a body comprising side walls, one of which has a free opening constituting a doorway, and a roof forming the exterior top wall of the structure directly exposed to the atmosphere, of a plurality of clusters of flexible strips of hover material arranged in contiguous rows with air circulating passages between them immediately under the roof, each cluster comprising loose contiguous pendent strips attached at their upper ends to the inner side of the roof and freely dependent into the body of the structure at their lower ends, the clusters there expanding into closer relation than at the top throughout the interior of the structure.

l1. In a structure ofthe class described having a body with a Ventilating opening thereabout adjacent to the top, and said body comprising spaced side walls with a Ventilating opening thereabout to the atmosphere at a lower level than the Ventilating opening into said body, the side walls being provided at one side with an entrance and exit opening, and a roof forming the exterior top wall of the structure so as to be exposed directly to the atmosphere, and series of clusters of free flexible strips of hover material fast to the inner face of the roof and depending therefrom and arranged in spaced rows to form a plurality of ventilating passages freely communicating with the Ventilating opening at the top of the body, the strips of each row being arranged longitudinally of the wall containing the entrance and exitl opening, and those strips adjacent to said opening constituting a readily yieldable closure therefor.

12. In a structure of the class described, a body comprising side walls, a bottom and a roof, one of the side walls having an unimpeded opening forming an entrance and exit and the roof constituting the exterior top wall of the structure so as to be exposed directly to the atmosphere, and a series of closely associated free strips of flexible hover material arranged in contiguous rows and attached to and dependent from the inner side of the roof, said strips being so close together at the body height of creatures to be hovered as to there substantially fill the body of the structure between the side walls, and the strips adjacent to the entrance and exit opening extending across and constituting a readily displaceable closure for said opening.

13. In a structure of the character set forth, a body portion comprising side walls, a floor, and a roof, the side walls having a passageway therethrough, and hover material suspended in clusters from the roof'and reaching to a point near but stopping short of the iioor, the said clusters being formed of soft flexible material confined at their upper portions next to the roof to provide intermediate air spaces directly beneath the roof and unconfined at their lower portions to allow the material to expand and contact with contiguous clusters, and said clusters being in number sufficient to ll the middle space of the structure with yielding hover material.

14. In a structure of the character set forth, a two-part body having spaced double side walls and a roof adjustable as to height, a Ventilating space being left between the roof and the inner side wall, which space communicates with the space between the side walls, the side walls having a door-way formed therein, and soft yielding hover material depending from the roof in clusters, said clusters confined at their upper portion to provide interspaces immediately beneath the roof communicating with the said ven- "tilatingspace and unconfined in their lower portion to allow the material to spread into contact with that of contiguous clusters to fill the middle space of the structure.

l5. In a structure of the character set forth, a two-part body having spaced double side walls with said space opening directly to the atmosphere at a low point and to the interior of the structure at a high point, and a roof carried by the outer side walls and adjustable therewith as to height, the side walls having a doorway passage formed therein, and soft yieldable hover material depending from the roof in clusters confined at their upper portions to provide ventilating spaces, and each unconned at the lower portions to allow the material to spread into contact with that of contiguous clusters to substantially wholly fill the middle space of the structure at the body height of the creatures to be hovered, said clusters being disposed in rows extending transversely of the doorway passage to form a readily yieldable closure therefor, and each cluster being composed of flat woolen strips arranged parallel with the direction of the rows.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto afiixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

vieron w. cLoUeH.

Witnesses:

Trios. B. MATTHEWS, CHRISTHIAN WINGEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

It is hereby oertied that in Letters Patent No. 1,181,504, granted May 2, 1916, upon the application of Victor W. Clough, of North McGregor, Iowa, for an improvement in Brooders, an error appears in the printed specification requiring correction as follows: Pege 2, line 125, claim 9, strike out the Words and depending loosely intothe end insert the Words having side walls, the walls of; end that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the cese in the Patent Otoe.

Signed and sealed this 30th day of May, A. D., 1916.

[SEAL] J. T. NEWTON,

Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

